Start the New Year with a MOYNAT

MOYNAT's Early Christmas Present

On a dark and stormy night in December, I heard a loud banging at my door. I was apprehensive at first but saw that there was Fedex guy standing outside in the rain. I accepted a huge package and apprehension quickly turned to excitement when I saw where it was from. After months of waiting, my Rejane in Petrol Bleu finally arrived today just in time for Christmas. The personalization is breathtaking and the Holiday charm a welcome surprise. Thank you Guillaume, Ramesh, Tae-In and most especially Claire for making my first leather Moynat a truly special one.

A very merry Christmas indeed!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!

I would like to greet my US readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

Wishing that this

Thanksgiving 

finds you with plenty of reasons to give 

thanks!

 (such as getting this lizard Rejane for Christmas)

MOYNAT Rejane Ruban Collection

Available only in Beijing

Falling In Love Again

 Réjane in Black

MOYNAT Rejane

  Réjane in Eggshell

MOYNAT Rejane

Réjane in Raspberry

MOYNAT Rejane

Réjane in Petrol Blue, Turquoise and Yellow

MOYNAT Rejane in the Atelier

MOYNAT Rejane Weekend!

I decided to feature the Rejane this weekend, MOYNAT's iconic bag.  What better way to start it off with one that is hand-crafted in precious crocodile skin?

MOYNAT Rejane

Feeling the love again!

MOYNAT Petite Réjane & Réjane

MOYNAT Petite Réjane

Colour: Greige

MOYNAT Parisian Promenade

A Parisian Promenade 

 A Nowness film for Moynat 

 Marie, a young actress, observes Paris from the square of the Sacré Coeur church. The bird’s eye view of the capital from the peak of the Montmartre hill leaves her breathless: this is what dreams are made of… Back home, in her apartment on rue Saint Honoré, a stone’s throw from the Tuileries gardens and Concorde, she opens her Moynat trunk in red Morocco leather, an Art Deco masterpiece and award winner of the 1925 Decorative Arts exhibition. The trunk contains a photo album of the celebrated French actress Réjane, her role model, and the script of a theatre play. Marie puts her things in order in her Réjane bag. Created in homage to the famous actress, the Réjane bag evokes the friendship between her and Pauline Moynat. Trunk maker since 1849, Pauline Moynat was the purveyor of fine leather goods by appointment to the Théâtre Français. A fervent admirer of Réjane, she created the first handbag dedicated to a comedian. Marie sits at the renowned Nemours café, neighbouring the Théâtre de la Comédie Française, behind the Palais Royal. She studies her script; she hopes to land the starring role in the play, one that had been created by the great Réjane herself. At the Palais de Tokyo, along the slope of the Trocadero, Marie hurries down the museum steps, yet another Art Deco monument. She continues her Parisian promenade as a biplane crosses the skies above her, evoking equally the thrill of travel dear to Pauline Moynat and the escapism promised by theatre and cinema. Night falls on the quai Montebello behind the Notre Dame, legendary cathedral and literary masterpiece. Marie scribbles notes in the margins of her script. Neither the fireworks nor the sailboat followed by a family of swans can sway her concentration. She is immersed in her future role. Only the snow manages to distract her. From the Pont des Arts, the most romantic bridge in Paris, she looks across to the Académie Française, the temple of French literature created by Richelieu in 1635. A shooting star streaks across the sky. It is time to head back home. On the way, Marie stops in front of the Paris Opera Garnier. The young actress, imbued with her role and by the beauty of Paris, raises her eyes to the sky: just above the roof of the majestic monument, the planets seem to align themselves. It is the eve of her audition. Her Réjane bag will bring her luck. 

 Duration of the film 2’10 

 Produced by Nowness 

 Directed by Mary Clerté 

 Music Valleys 

 Actress Jeanne Damas

MOYNAT Vintage Advertisement

Did you know that Moynat was likely the first Parisian House to introduce a bag designed for and bearing the name of a famous actress? Check out this vintage ad from the House's archives. 

Mademoiselle Rejane in the 1890's

MOYNAT Réjane

Rejane in Petrol Blue

MOYNAT Réjane

MOYNAT Réjane

Named after Gabrielle-Charlotte Réju (dite Réjane) who was, along with Sarah Bernhadt, the most illustrious French actress of the Belle Epoque (late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries), the Réjane bag is Moynat’s celebration of its links with the theatre. The first Moynat store was located across the street from the Théâtre Français and Réjane herself was the muse of Moynat and a friend of Pauline Moynat, from her days as “queen of the boulevard” in Paris to her success on the New York stage with Madame Sans Gène. The actress even commissioned a Moynat crocodile leather trunk, with a padded blue and mauve lining, that was used as a prop in her play Viveurs. The Rejane bag, then, is true to the spirit of the actress, renowned for her innovative and modern acting, dubbed “Nerve art” by contemporaries. It is versatile and can be worn as a handbag or with a shoulder sling. The delicate curves of the silhouette are highlighted by the rounded metal closure that is a re-edition of the original Art Deco piece. The bag strikes a perfect balance between femininity and the signature purity of line that characterises Moynat. The Réjane is available in a variety of colours in Taurillon Gex leather.

Réjane and her Moynat bag in Décoré (1888)

1903 Ad showing the first Réjane bag published in The Theatre magazine

Natalia Vodianova & the MOYNAT Rejane

When I first posted this photo of Natalia this morning, there was no information on the bag she was carrying. A quick email to M. Davin and he promptly replied that they were thinking of calling it

Réjane

 Named after a Belle Époque actress, Gabrielle Réjane, she was a dear friend of Pauline Moynat. Pauline used to design trunks for the actress' theatre performances at the Comédie-Française. It is interesting to note that in the 1890's, there was already a Moynat bag with this name. 

 Slated to be released in time for Christmas, this delightful shoulder and handheld city bag is sure to win the hearts of Moynat's growing followers. I believe that Mademoiselle Gabrielle would highly approve!